Fire-alarm box.



No. 64l,924. v Patented Ian. 23, 1900. H. F. BLACKWELL, m.

FIRE ALARM BOX.

(Application filed Aug. 24, 1899.) (No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No, 643,924. Patented-Ian. 23, I900. H. F. BLACKWELL, m.

FIRE ALARM BOX.

(Application filed Aug. 24, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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I STATES I ATENT FFIC.

FIRE-ALARM BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 641,924, dated January 23, 1900.

Application filed August 24, 1899. Serial No. 728,297. (No model-) To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY FIELD BLACK- WELL, Jr., of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county of NewYork and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Fire-Alarm Box, ofwhich the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to an improvement in multiple-signal fire-alarm boxes. The usual type of fire-alarm boxes is limited'to one signal number only, indicating the loca tion of the box at a signal-station.

The object of myinvention is to provide indrawings, forming a part of this specification,

in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a fire-alarm box embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic View thereof. Fig. 3 is a side elevation thereof, and Fig. 4 is a front elevation'of a modification.

Referring'tothe drawings, 1 designates the fire-alarm'box, in which is a shaft 2, having a bevel-gear3 engaging with a bevel-gear 4 on the shaft of the motor arranged in the box,

Mounted on the shaft 2 is asignal-wheel 5, with which the contact-fingers 6 7 normally engage. The contactfingers 6 7 are mounted on a block 8 of insulating material, which is mounted to swing on a rod 9, supported in the box. From the block 8 a finger 10 extends to a pivotal connection with a trackerrod 11, the upper end of which has connection with one arm of an angle-lever 12, the opposite member of said angle-lever being adapted for engagement with a block 13, extended outward from the detent lever 14, which holds the motor from operation in the usual manner. is connected to one member of a bell-crank The lower end of the rod 11 lever 15, the other member of said lever being provided with a slot into which a pin 16 on a thrust-bar 17 passes.

0n a shaft 18 in the box 1 is a hook lever 19 and also a finger 20, adapted for engagement with the block 13. The hook-lever '19 is normally engaged by a pin on the slide or on the arm of the pull-hook carried on the inner door of the fire-alarm box, so that when the outside door is opened the pin moving upon the hook-lever 19 will move the same downward, rocking the shaft 18, causing the finger -20 to engage the block 13 and move the lever 14 to disengage it from the motor, so that the wheel 5 will be rotated to make and break the circuit and turn in an alarm.

:The wheel 5 is what I term the public or the like.

At one side of the public wheel" 5 I have shown private signal-wheels 21, 22, 23, 24, and 25, and on the other side of the public wheel 5 are private signal-wheels 26, '27, 28, and 29. Adapted for engagement with each private signal-wheel is a pair of contact-fingers 30, having connection by means of wires 31 32 with the main Wires 33 34. Each pair of fingers 80 is mounted on a block 35 of insulating material, the several blocks 35 being mounted to rock independently on the rod 9. From each block 35 an arm 36 extends to a pivot connectionwith a trackerrod 37. Each tracker-rod is pivotally connected at its upper end to an arm 38, extended from the rock-shaft 39, to which is also at tached an armature-lever 40, carrying an ar mature 41 for coacting with an electromagnet 42.

The several electromagnets are located in the upper portion of the fire alarm box, and of course there will be an electroinagnet for each of the private signal-wheels. These several electromagnets are connected in circuits leading to various buildings adjacent to the fire-alarm station. Each tracker-rod is connected at its lower end to one member of a bell-crank lever 43, the other member being forked and engaging around the thrust-rod 17, upon which are mounted collars 44, with which the said bell-crank levers are designed to engage for moving the thrust-rod in one direction. It will be noted that the several tracker-rods are made in two sections having screw-thread engagement, so that they may be adjusted lengthwise, as desired. The several bell-crank levers 43 and the bell-crank lever 15 are mounted to swing on a rod 45, secured in the box 1.

In operation the public alarm is to be turned in in the manner before described; but should it be necessary to turn in an alarm from any one of the buildings that may be connected with the system the circuit must be closed in that particularbuilding. For instance, if the circuit is closed through the electromagnet operating in conjunction with the signalwheel 21 the tracker-rod 37 will be drawn upward, rocking the block 35, causing the fingers 30 to engage with the wheel 21. By the upward movementof thetracker-rod the bellcrank lever 43 will be rocked to move the thrust-rod 17 to the left. This movement of the thrust-rod by operating the bell-crank lever 15 will draw the tracker-rod 11 downward, moving the fingers 6 and 7 out of engagement with the wheel 5 and at the same time rocking the angle-lever 12, which will move the detent-lever 14 out of engagement with the motor mechanism, allowing the motor to rotate the signal-wheels to turn in an alarm, directing the firemen to a particular building. A spring 46 engages with the lower portion of the angle-lever 12 and is designed to hold said angle-lever yieldingly in either of its adjusted positions.

In the modification shown in Fig. 4 I employ a signal-wheel 47, which is the public signalwheel, and the private or auxiliary signalwheel48. Thesetwosignal-wheelsare mounted both on the same shaft, and the wheel 48 is normally engaged by the contact-fingers 49, while the wheel 47 is designed to be engaged by the fingers when the box-dooris opened, as will be hereinafterdescribed. The fingers 49 are mounted on a block 51 of insulating materiahand the fingers 50 are mounted on a block 52 of insulatingmaterial-such, for instance, as hard rubber. The blocks 51 and 52 are mounted to swing on a pivot 53, and from an arm 54, depending from the block 51, a link 55 extends to a connection with asubstantially T-shaped lever 56, the connection of said link 55 with the said lever 56 being below its pivotal point, and from a point above its pivotal point a link 57 extends to a connection with an arm 58, depending from the block 52. The front edge of the lever 56 extends at opposite angles from its central portion,and this angular edge engages against a spring 59, which will insure the throwing of the lever to its proper position when once started. From the lever 56 a rod 60 extends to an arm 61, attached to the shaft 18. Also mounted loosely on this shaft 18 is a bellcrank lever62, one member of which is adapted for engagement with the block l3,and from the other member a tracker-rod 63 extends to an arm mounted on the rock-shaft carrying the armature for the electromagnet 64, which is arranged in a circuit leading to a particular building.

In operation should a fire occur in abuild ing the circuit through the electromagnet 64 is to be closed, which by drawing its armature will draw upward the tracker-rod 63, causing the lever 62 to move the detent-lever 14 out of engagement with the motor, per mitting said motor to rotate the signal-wheels in the usual manner and turning in the alarm from the wheel 48. Should it be necessary to turn in an alarm from the box, the door is to be opened and the signal-hook pulled down, which will force the lever 19 downward, as before described, drawing upward on the rod 60, reversing the position of the lever 56, consequently moving the fingers 50 into engagement with the Wheel 47 and moving the fingers 49 out of engagement with the wheel 48, and thus the public or station alarm will be turned in, after which the proper official will return the fingers 49 to their normal position in engagement with the signal-wheel 48.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent 1. In a fire-alarm box, a motor, a detent for the motor, a public signal-wheel operated by the motor, an auxiliary signal-wheel operated by the motor, contact-fingers for engaging with the wheels, one set of fingers being normally in contact with its wheel, and electrically-operated devices for releasing the motordetent, permitting a signal to pass over acircuit controlled by one of the wheels, substantially as specified.

2. In a fire-alarm box, a motor, a public signal-wheel operated by the motor, a series of auxiliary or private signal-wheels mounted on the same shaft with the public signal-wheel, contact-fingers for engaging with the various signal-wheels, and an electrically-operated means for moving contact-fingers into engagement with an auxiliary Wheel and at the same time moving contact-fingers out of engagement with the public wheel, substantially as specified.

3. A fire-alarm box, comprising a motor, a public signal-wheel operated by the motor, a series of auxiliary signal-wheels operated by the motor, contact-fingers for engaging with the several signal-wheels, a detent for the motor, and clectrically-operated means for moving contact-fingers into engagement with an auxiliary wheel and at the same time moving the contact-fingers outof engagement with the public wheel and also releasing the detent from the motor, substantially as specified.

4. In a fire-alarm box, a series of signalwheels, a shaft on which all of said wheels are mounted, a motor for rotating the shaft, a pair of contact-fingers for each signal-wheel, blocks on which the contact-fingers are mounted, the said blocks being mounted to rockindependently of each other, electromagnets in the box, and devices operated by said electromagnets for moving the contact-fingers into engagement with a sign al-wheel, substantially as specified.

5. In a fire-alarm box, a motor, a series of independent signal-Wheels operated by the motor,a pair of contact-fingers for each signalwheel, rocking bloc-ks upon which the fingers are mounted, the several blocks being independent one of another, tracker-rods having connection with said blocks, and electricallycontrolled means for operating said rods to move the contact-fingers relatively to the signal-wheels, substantially as specified.

6. In a fire-alarm box, a motor, a public signal-wheel operated by the motor, contact-fingers normally engaging with said wheel, a plurality of auxiliary signal-wheels, contactiingers for engaging with said auxiliary wheels, each pair of contact-fingers being mounted to swing independently one of another, electromagnets in the box, tracker-rods operated by said electromagnets, the said tracker-rods having connection with the contact-fingers of the auxiliary wheels, a thrustrod, levers operated by the tracker-rods for moving said thrust-rod in one direction, a tracker-rod having connection with the contact-fingers for the public wheel, and a lever operated by said tracker-rod for releasing the motor, substantially as specified.

HENRY FIELD BLACKWELL, JR.

, lVitnesses:

JAMES M. JONES, FRANK TIMON. 

